Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-04-18
The Interstate Commerce Law

II he Interstate Commerce Law.
No public matter of the day is cre-
ating more discussion, and to a cer-
tain degree anxiety, than the Inter
State Commerce Law. 1t is so COM
plicated in effect that new surprises
come to the surface almost every day.
Its general effect is Ishmaelltic to the
last degree. 1t arrays every mans
hand against his brother, and each
city in IL land against her sister city
across the Yer, or in the next county.
The several cities OF the Union have
become a house divided against
itself. For example, tie Chamber OF
Commerce in San Francisco is for it
con amore, while the Board OF Trade
of the same city is against the Bill.
The former body is composed mainly
of shipowners, and therefore the new
law favors their interest. The other
organization is composed OF mer-
chants who wish the best rates
on transcontinental traffic. Again,
the sugar rofners OF the Bay City op-
pose Senator Reagan's pet hobby,
because they wish TO sell their goods
east of the Rockies, but the pork
pa ckers of that place favor high
terminal rates because they ship
nothing out of the State, but have to
compete on their own ground with
hog product from Chicago and Gin
cinnati. The same state OF things
prevails all over the country. South
Bend, Indiana, on general principles
would be benefited by the
law, or would seem on cursozy
glance to be so effected. Rates on
goods from the Atlantic seaboard to
that point would be lower than to
Chicago. This would tend to make
business at the Indiana town. But
that place manufactures a great
amo unit of agricultural implements
W hich are sold as far West as the
shores of the Pacific. By the opera
ton of the law the territory west
of the Mississippi river will be cut
off from the enterprising manufac-
turers of South Bend. Ergo, the
shops will be closed, the thousands
of employees turned idle, and the little
city on the Wabash will lose a
double eagle where she gains nickel.
But not only the manufacturers and
their hands in that section are in
jured. The honest granger in whose
interests principally this famous law
was framed, will find this flaming
sword, which turns every way, is saw
ing away at his own jugular. If the
wagon shops are closed up who will
buy the fine black walnut tree the
Hoosier farmer has watched grow, 10,
these many years, ever since he was
q little f1axed-haired boy? There is
no market for his lordly cedars, his
kingly oaks, nor his stately elms.
With us there is no element OF
amelioration OF the effects of the law
framed by the Texas Senator. 1t
cuts us in two from behind and from
before. We can neither import nor
export. 1T gives no interest of this
section, comfort or hope. By a rare
blessing we have Gods broad, free
waterways at our doors, and these,
fortunately, are too large for the
Lone Star statesman's obstructive
bill to interrupt. But Mr.. Reagan
seems to have had some prescience
of the bardships his law might work,
and therefore, with wise forethought,
gave the commission very broad
discretion as to suspending the oper-
alton of the act, where said proceed
ing is seen to be evidently necessary.
The commission is understood to
have the ability to grant the fullest
relief in Just such cases as ours. 1t is
the general impression in business
circles that the commission will take
steps with prompt and wise energy,
30 that the business of no important
section shall suffer any backset by
reason of the effect of this bill. All
our business men are proceeding
with the utm ost confidence that such
will be the course of events.